


Of Deadlines and Cute Comments

by JingNI



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (the paper that is), Alternate Universe - College/University, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Inspired by Poetry, Literary References & Allusions, M/M, Study Date, Wishful Thinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-11-25 21:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20918699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JingNI/pseuds/JingNI
Summary: Xiao Dejun needs comments for his paper that is due next week. Since he always asks his boyfriend to comment on his paper, he should not have been surprised at the amount of cute and supportive comments he will get.(he loves each and everyone of them anyway.)





	Of Deadlines and Cute Comments

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Idk how to write fluff fics so this is what happened hnnn

No matter how many times he tries to revise his assignment, Xiao Dejun knows he’s doomed.

Maybe he was too arrogant when he chose a difficult poet to write a paper on. Maybe he’s just too dumb to understand their poems, maybe even poetry, in general. Maybe he shouldn’t have procrastinated this paper by doing other things like binge watching television dramas and going on dates with Kunhang.

He really should keep his priorities in check.

Dejun looks at the screen, wondering how he can revise the paper. He stares at the paragraphs he wants to burn, but he can’t exactly delete them right away. He needs to have a plan. The optimal way to revise this paper is to reread the poems and other papers related to the topic, reread his paper, and slowly revise it. The only problem is, he doesn’t know if what he’s doing is enough for the paper to be passable. Sure, at least he tried, but revising all by himself isn’t working out for him.

“Wait a minute.” Dejun immediately grabs his phone and, with shaky hands, calls someone. Hearing the affectionate greeting after a ring, Dejun cuts to the chase. “I need your help.”

“Help with what?” The person from the other end asks in a curious tone. “Is there something wrong?”

“Uh, I know you already told me not to write about this but, can you help me revise my paper?”

  
The line goes silent for a while. Dejun can hear the other person sigh, making him panic a bit but fortunately, he continues. “I told you not to pick a poet to analyze, babe.”

“Come on!” Dejun groans, pouting as he can feel the other man smirking. “You’re good at analyzing stuff. Please comment on my paper, love.”

“On one condition.”

“Anything.”

“Give me free cuddles for a week.”

It’s a condition Dejun doesn’t necessarily dread, since they cuddle all the time. “There’s a catch in this offer of yours.”

Dejun can practically imagine him barely containing his laughter. “You think poorly of me, babe. Do I look like someone who’s plotting something all the time?”

“If I say yes will that answer you question?” Dejun sighs, rubbing his temples as he feels a headache coming. “So, what is it?”

“Cuddle me with that bunny costume.”

Dejun should’ve expected this. He should’ve expected this kind of... endearment when he decided to ask him about this. Still, either he should forget about asking him and risk getting a failing grade, which will probably lead him to fail the class entirely as this paper has a large percentage, or swallow his pride and wear the stupid bunny costume that the person from the other end bought him for his last birthday.

“…you really want me to wear that costume?” Dejun whispers. He lets out a large breath. Biting his lip, he answers with a wink. He knows the other man won’t see it, but he goes for it anyway. “Okay babe. I’ll give you want. Just this once.”

“Excellent,” the other person says, glee obvious in his tone. “I’ll meet you at around five, babe!”

Dejun sighs, wishing he hadn't chosen this topic for his paper. 

*

After printing his paper, Dejun goes to the café he and his friends always frequent. He quickly lines up and when it’s his time, tells the cashier his order. Coincidentally, the cashier is none other than one of his seniors, who’s also his friend.

“Let me guess,” Kun asks, used to the sulky expression of the younger man. “You’re in trouble.”

Dejun nods.

“And you asked your precious boyfriend for help.”

Another nod.

“And you regretted asking but you had no choice.”

At this point, Dejun just grumbles.

“Buddy, you have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Such harsh words Kun ge.” Dejun groans, as Kun stares at him in disbelief. “Why are you kicking me even more? Can’t you see I’m suffering?”

“Well I hope your boyfriend helps you,” Kun says as he gives Dejun change and number. 

“Because you really need it.”

Dejun knows Kun only means well, so he nods, going to his usual seat afterwards. After biting his straw a few times, he sees his boyfriend coming towards him.

Wong Kunhang is such a handsome young man, Dejun thinks, his eyes focused on Kunhang’s figure approaching him. There is something on how Kunhang walks, on how his hair is so fluffy and how his brown eyes twinkle, on how his smile always capture Dejun’s heart. No matter how much Kunhang pulls him in embarrassing situations, Dejun is, nonetheless, the one he loves.

“Happy to see me?” Kunhang asks, smiling.

Dejun huffs in faux irritation as he gives Kunhang his paper. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

Kunhang chuckles, his smile wide. He takes out a pen and winks at Dejun. “I’m sure you’ll do great with this paper.”

Dejun scratches his head, not believing it. He stares at the window while Kunhang starts commenting on his paper, admiring the orange sky as it slowly darkens. The road is filled with cars and people walking to different directions. The influence of modernity is something he wants to capture, hoping his imagination is rich enough for that kind of art.

He doesn’t notice Kun serving their orders nor Kunhang staring at him with similar adoration. Taking this as the perfect opportunity, Kunhang puts two straws in their drink and nudges his lover gently. Seeing the gesture, Dejun blushes.

They sip their drink at the same time.

*

  
There are two nights left until the deadline and after reading Kunhang’s comments, he doesn’t know whether to feel fuzzy like the butterflies in his stomach, or feel exasperated because this...isn't exactly what he asked for (at first). He knows the taller man is good at commenting papers, so seeing the comments are, for lack of a better term, full of cute scribbles and fluffy comments, such as curly handwriting, comments full of nice compliments, and drawings of small hearts in red ink. These comments are squeezed on the margins of the page with cute cursive writing.

Don't get him wrong, he's very thankful for the comments. He expected something...more serious comments for the lack of a better word. He does love the encouraging comments, since he knows he really needs them right now. 

_All these interpretations show Li Shangyin’s use of **allusion** to mask his **real intentions**. Besides these interpretations, he also writes allusively due **t****o two reasons**: 1.) he writes allusively because he writes mainly in parallel prose, where allusion is also a key component, and 2.) allusion is also a common practice during the Tang dynasty._

Instead of helpful comments such as “what are these real intentions” or “define allusion,” or even “use more sources,” and “shorten ‘to other two main reasons,’” Kunhang wrote comments like: 

“aw babe is doing assonance in this paragraph!”

“mask his real intentions like you sweet pea?” 

“allusion is a common practice tho 宝贝_ . _Or are you being elusive with me >_<”

Why is he describing things in a soft manner? If he’s being honest, he needs the soft comments, but this only makes him feel more worried. Kunhang’s comments become so cute to the point his comments have! Too! Much! Fluff! He loves them, he really does, but he’s conflicted because he needs serious comments as well. His analysis on Li Shangyin’s “To One Unnamed” shows how Kunhang can be so hyper in hyping his writing:

_The second couplet references the phoenix, and it is said that the phoenix resembles a husband and wife, which means that this poem is about a woman. Despite the image of the unicorn,** since they don’t have wings, their bodies aren’t together** . Still, their hearts say otherwise: **The Sacred Unicorn** is an allusion to a legend where it is said that the horn of the unicorn has the spiritual power to connect two people who are in love. This means that this couplet is an **antithetical couplet** , as the first line references the body being apart, while the second line shows that their hearts are together. Also, the body is in the physical plane, while the ** hearts rests on the internal, more intimate and perhaps, spiritual** . Due to the bittersweet implication of the second couplet, the third couplet, **while contrasting the mood of not just the previous couplets, but all the poems discussed thus far, still sounds a bit hollow**. The games and the wine should tell a happy atmosphere as it may seem that the persona and the beloved are together, but due to the second couplet, it gives us doubt._

Expecting comments such as “what is the Sacred Unicorn?” and “you tend to go to the conclusion abruptly” Kunhang's comments are: 

“I have a horn of the unicorn at home! Maybe that’s why we’re together!” 

“hearts ‘rests’ should be rest only babe but resting on the internal, intimate and spiritual plane? That’s poetic love!”

“games and wine can be sad too sweetie! You cry when you’re drunk!”

“bodies aren’t together? You want to be together now?”

“Dejun is writing his bitterness here, I want to cheer him on!”

These comments aren’t helping much at all! Should he ask for a deadline extension? But his teacher will surely grill him for tardiness. He sighs as he reads more cute and fluffy comments that he lost count of how many times Kunhang wrote _“I love what you think,”_ _“I love your writing!”_ and _“I love YOU.”_ He’s ready to give up until he sees the last page and the last comments written at the bottom.

_In the end, these poems made me realize a lot of things. I admit that when I first read Li Shangyin’s poems, they’re too dense, because I didn’t get most of the allusions he wrote. Still, despite the density of the allusions, **he used these allusions to build the atmosphere, the tension, and most importantly, he used these various allusions. From textual allusions to allusions of legends and philosophies to communicate, whether they are emotions, motivations, or backstory, all of them build up on building these poems for us to feel what the poem is trying to make us feel. These are helped by the regulated form and parallelisms he exhibited in his poems.** Although various interpretations of his poems exist, for me, what I learned most about Shangyin and his poetry is that what matters is how you respond to his communication, and seeing as there are a lot of interpretations, I guess he succeeds in communicating to us, and **it boils down to how we respond to it.**_

(I like how you interpret his poems love, and the response is also important. Still, you tend to repeat the same words and ideas and while I do love that repetition, this also shows how you process your thoughts. I think you need to be more concise on what you want to write about the allusions of the poems.)

(For example, don’t condense all your thoughts in a single paragraph, much less in a single sentence. Instead, let it flow naturally. Word vomit all you want, write every idea that you have in your mind and when you’re done, pick what ideas are needed. Believe me love, you have a lot of wonderful ideas, but remember that you also have to be careful. )

(Also, as your personal editor, you also need to proofread this. Your grammar is all over the place and to be honest, your paper is difficult to read. Fret not! I’m also your personal proofreader so if you need any help in writing your paper then I am always available to help you!)

(You’re doing good babe. Remember I’m always proud of you.)

Dejun leans on the wall, taking a deep breath. That’s the Kunhang he knows.

*

“So, what’s the verdict?” Kunhang asks as they sit on the rooftop of their school’s dorm. Dejun shrugs, choosing to lean his head on Kunhang’s shoulder instead. Kunhang twirls a strand of Dejun’s hair, smiling when Dejun lets out a chuckle. 

Kunhang will never get tired hearing his boyfriend’s laughter. He looks at the night sky, admiring how the stars twinkle in the moonlight. 

“Do you know how it feels to be a driftwood?” Kunhang murmurs, feeling the breeze of the evening air. Dejun blinks a few times, but doesn’t respond. “Or be a cicada?”

“Being a cicada, huh?” Dejun says, lying down on Kunhang’s hap. Dejun smiles as he ruffles Kunhang’s soft hair. “Don’t they symbolize longevity or something?”

“I guess so.” Kunhang sighs. Dejun pouts, seeing how the other man is pondering something. “I just remembered something.”

“What is it?” 

“If cicadas mean longevity, then that would mean a long journey in life,” Kunhang answers in a serious tone. “If I would live a long life, will you be with me?”

“As long as I’m with you, then that would be very nice,” Dejun answers sincerely, slowly rising up to embrace Kunhang in his arms. “If I would live for a long time, then I don’t mind as long as I live together with you.”

Kunhang grins, returning the embrace. 

“I love you Wong Kunhang,” Dejun whispers as he lets himself be engulfed by Kunhang’s embrace. “I hope you remember that.”

Kunhang whispers a response of his own. 

Bonus:

It’s the middle of the night. Kunhang is ruffling Dejun’s bunny ears tenderly. The shorter man glares at him, but his blush only makes him cuter. Without a second thought, Kunhang embraces Dejun, wanting to be in this bliss for a long time.

“You are surely going to regret this,” Dejun hisses, though both of them know it doesn’t contain any ounce of venom. “I will make you pay next time.”

“Aw, is Little Dejun this desperate for attention?” Kunhang coos. “Don’t worry, Yellow Kunhang is here to save the night!”

“That isn’t what our names mean in English you precious bean.” Dejun says jokingly, still being hugged by Kunhang as if he’s the most precious being in the world. It isn’t long until he’s asleep, his face merely a few inches away from Kunhang.

For Wong Kunhang, Xiao Dejun is the most beautiful person he ever laid his eyes on. It doesn’t matter if Dejun is wearing this stuffy bunny costume, or how he gets flustered and irritated all the time, as soon as he sees those pair of eyes looking at his direction, he knows he’s the one. 

“Dejun.”

“Hmm?”

“我爱你.”

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes on the Chinese characters in the story
> 
> 宝贝 (bǎo bèi) - this is mainly used to call people you love (mainly romantic relationships) with affectiom  
我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ) - I love you
> 
> Kunhang's joke about calling Dejun "Little Dejun" and himself "Yellow Kunhang": 
> 
> The 肖 in 肖德俊 means "similar" or “to resemble". The joke here is the world for little (小) is also pronounced as "xiao". The difference is, 肖 is xiāo while 小 is xiǎo. For added bonus，translating Xiaojun's name literally means "to resemble the virtue/goodness of a talented/handsome person" since 德 means “ virtue/goodness ” while 俊 means “talented/handsome". 
> 
> The 黄 in 黄冠亨 means "yellow". That's why Kunhang calls himself "Yellow Kunhang". For added bonus, translating Kunhang's name literally means "the smooth/prosperous yellow crown" since 冠 means "hat/crown" while 亨 means "prosperous, progressing, or the measure word Henry (H), which is the unit of inductance (in electricity)". Pretty meaningful name if you think about it. 
> 
> This is the literal translation based on the literal meaning of each word so this isn't an accurate translation (my Chinese knowledge is minimal despite years of studying it huhu).


End file.
